JP2002270009A - Vehicular lamp having led as light source - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lamp having a LED as a light source, capable of intending to expand the light emitting area of the LED, and intending to reduce a cost and to reduce quality of illumination. SOLUTION: This vehicular lamp is equipped with a main reflector 2 to send light toward the front of the lamp, a projecting means 4 to project the light from a LED 1 to the inside of the main reflector 2 with its opening part 3 facing the main reflector 2, and an auxiliary reflector 5 disposed at the space part 6 in the main reflector 2 to make the light projected by the projecting means 4 reflect toward the main reflector 2. Since the auxiliary reflector 5 is disposed at the space part 6 in the main reflector 2, the main reflector 2 having that much longer focal distance can be used, and since a majority of the light of LED 1 is made to reflect toward the main reflector 2 from the auxiliary reflector 5, efficiency in using the main reflector 2 can be enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applied to, for example, a signal light of a vehicle, a high mount stop lamp, and the like.
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp using an LED (light emitting diode) as a light source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 shows a vehicular lamp 100 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-123610. In the vehicle lighting device 100, a number of small boxes 51 with the opened front faced in the same direction are arranged in a stepwise shape along the curved surface of the outer lens 50 inside the outer lens 50, and inside each small box 51. The LED 1 is arranged, and a Fresnel lens 52 as an inner lens is arranged in front of the LED 1 of each small box 51.

According to the vehicle lamp 100,
The light emitted from the LED 1 of each small box 51 is condensed by the Fresnel lens 52 and then emitted to the outside through the outer lens 50.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, LEDs
1 has a high directivity and a small light-emitting area. Therefore, when used as a light source of the vehicle lamp 100, a large number of Ls are used.
There is a problem that the ED1 is required, which leads to an increase in cost.

To increase the light emitting area of the LED 1, a combination of the LED 1 and the reflector 53 can be considered as shown in FIG. 4, but the reflector 53 combined with the LED 1 has a small focal length due to the high directivity of the LED 1. As a result, the emission area cannot be increased as shown by the emission light pattern A.

That is, the LED 1 and the reflector 53
As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle lamp 101 according to the combination of FIG. 5 does not cause the entire surface of the outer lens 50 to emit light despite the fact that many reflectors 53 are arranged adjacent to each other (FIG. 5A). , The opposing portion of the reflector 53 (FIG. 5)
Since only the hatched portion a) of FIG. 2B emits light, there is a problem that not only the cost is increased but also the illumination quality is reduced.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, reference numeral 54 denotes
Denotes a housing and reference numeral 55 denotes a circuit board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular lamp using an LED as a light source, which can increase the light emitting area of the LED, thereby reducing the cost and improving the illumination quality. I do.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a main reflector for emitting light to the front of a lamp, and an LED having an opening facing the main reflector to emit light from the LED. A light reflector for projecting light into the main reflector; and a sub-reflector disposed in a space inside the main reflector for reflecting light emitted by the light projector toward the main reflector. .

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the LE
The light D is projected by the light projecting means in the direction of the sub-reflector, reflected by the sub-reflector in the direction of the main reflector, further reflected by the main reflector, and emitted to the front of the lamp. Since the sub-reflector is arranged in the space inside the main reflector in this way, it is possible to use the main reflector having a longer focal length by that much, and to transfer most of the light of the LED from the sub-reflector to the main reflector. Since the light is reflected, the use efficiency of the main reflector can be increased, and the light emitting area per LED can be increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular lamp using the LED according to the first aspect as a light source, wherein the light projecting means is provided at substantially equal intervals around a central portion of a reflection surface of the main reflector. , And the sub-reflector is disposed at a substantially focal position of the main reflector.

Therefore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the light of the LED from the plurality of light projecting means is projected toward the sub-reflector, reflected by the sub-reflector in the direction of the main reflector, and The light is further reflected by the reflector and emitted to the front of the lamp. At this time, since the sub-reflector is disposed at a substantially focal position of the main reflector, the utilization efficiency of the main reflector can be increased, whereby the light emitting area per LED can be increased, and a plurality of sub-reflectors can be obtained. By the light projecting means, it is possible to improve the luminance per one reflector and to make the luminance uniform.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular lamp using the LED according to the first or second aspect as a light source,
The light projecting means includes: a housing having an opening facing the reflection surface of the main reflector; an LED disposed at a bottom of the housing; and an LE covering the opening of the housing.
An inner lens for condensing the light of D on the sub-reflector.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the LE
D is protected by the housing and the inner lens, and the light of the LED is condensed by the inner lens and is efficiently projected toward the sub-reflector.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular lamp using the LED according to the third aspect as a light source, wherein the housing is formed integrally with the main reflector.

Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily install a light projecting means having an inner lens having a light condensing function in the direction of the sub-reflector.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular lamp using the LED according to the first or second aspect as a light source,
The light projecting means includes a light projecting reflector that causes an opening to face the reflection surface of the main reflector and emits light in the direction of the sub-reflector, and an LED disposed at a substantially focal position of the light projecting reflector. It is characterized by.

Therefore, in the invention according to claim 5, the LE
D is protected by the floodlight reflector and LED
Is condensed by the light projecting reflector and is efficiently projected toward the sub-reflector.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle lamp using the LED according to the fifth aspect as a light source, wherein the light projecting reflector is formed integrally with the main reflector. .

Therefore, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily install a light projecting means having a light projecting reflector having a function of projecting light in the sub-reflector direction.

[0021] Further, the invention according to claim 7 is based on claims 1 to
7. A vehicular lamp using an LED as a light source according to claim 6, wherein the sub-reflector has a distal end portion of a rod-shaped body made of a transparent resin material for fixing a base end portion to a reflection surface of the main reflector. And a reflection film is formed on the surface of the bulging portion.

For this reason, in the invention according to claim 7, since the sub-reflector is formed by extending the rod-shaped body made of a transparent resin material, the sub-reflector is not noticeable because it is melted into the main reflector and impairs the appearance. Not even.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle lamp 10 as a first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicular lamp 10 includes a main reflector 2 that emits light forward of the lamp, a light projecting unit 4 that projects the light of the LED 1 into the main reflector 2 with the opening 3 facing the main reflector 2, A sub-reflector 5 is disposed in a space in the reflector 2 and reflects light emitted by the light projecting means 4 toward the main reflector 2. In FIG. 1A, reference numeral 50 denotes an outer lens.
The lamp chamber 6 is defined together with the main reflector 2 so as to cover the front opening of the main reflector 2. Reference numeral 51 denotes a circuit board, which is screwed to the leg 11 of the main reflector 2.

In this embodiment, a plurality of light projecting means 4 are arranged at substantially equal intervals around the central portion 2b of the reflection surface 2a of the main reflector 2, and the sub-reflectors 5 are arranged at substantially focal positions of the main reflector 2. Are located in As shown by the opening 3 in FIG. 1B, four light projecting means 4 are arranged.

Specifically, the light projecting means 4 includes a housing 7 having an opening 3 facing the reflecting surface 2a of the main reflector 2,
It comprises an LED 1 arranged at the bottom of the housing 7 and an inner lens 8 that covers the opening 3 of the housing 7 and condenses the light of the LED 1 on the sub-reflector 5. The inner lens 8 is composed of, for example, a Fresnel lens. The LED 1 is mounted such that the light emitting portion 1 a faces the bottom opening 7 a of the housing 7 and is electrically connected to the circuit board 51.

In the vehicle lamp 10 thus configured, the light of the LED 1 is projected by the light projecting means 4 toward the sub-reflector 5 and reflected by the sub-reflector 5 toward the main reflector 2. The light is further reflected by the main reflector 2 and emitted to the front of the lamp.

As described above, the sub-reflector 5 is arranged in the space (light room 6) in the main reflector 2, so that the main reflector 2 having a longer focal length can be used, and the light of the LED 1 can be used. Is reflected from the sub-reflector 5 in the direction of the main reflector 2, so that the efficiency of use of the main reflector 2 can be increased, and the light emitting area per LED1 can be increased. Further, by changing the shape of the condensing portion of the sub-reflector 5, the light can be reflected by a light distribution pattern that matches the size and / or the shape of the main reflector 2, or diffusion performance can be imparted.

The vehicular lamp 10 includes a sub reflector 5.
Is arranged at a substantially focal position of the main reflector 2, so that the use efficiency of the main reflector 2 can be improved, whereby the light emitting area per one LED 1 can be further expanded, and four projections can be achieved. The light means 4 can also improve the luminance of each main reflector 2. As a result, the entire surface of the outer lens 50 emits light, as shown by oblique lines in FIG. 1B, and the light emission is evenly distributed to the main reflector 2 by the four light projecting means 4 being arranged at equal intervals. Light makes uniform light emission.

In the vehicular lamp 10, an LED is used.
1 is protected by the housing 7 and the inner lens 8 to stabilize the mounting state, and the light of the LED 1 is condensed by the inner lens 8 and is efficiently projected toward the sub-reflector 5, so that the main reflector 2 Use efficiency can be further enhanced.

Preferably, as in the present embodiment,
The housing 7 is formed integrally with the main reflector 2. With this configuration, the light projecting means 4 can be easily installed with a minimum number of components.

More preferably, as in the present embodiment,
The sub-reflector 5 bulges the distal end of a rod-shaped body 9 made of a transparent resin material that fixes the base end 9a to the reflection surface 2a of the main reflector 2 and reflects the reflection film 1 on the surface of the bulge 9b.
2 are formed. The bulging portion 9 b is
Is formed as a disc-shaped body having a fan-shaped cross section (see FIG. 1A) at the tip portion bent in an L-shape.
The bulging portion 9b is formed of, for example, an aluminum vapor-deposited film formed on the surface on the side opposite to the outer lens 50.

In such a configuration, the rod-shaped body 9 and the bulging portion 9b do not become conspicuous as they melt into the main reflector 2, and the appearance is not impaired.

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle lamp 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This vehicle lamp 20 is configured similarly to the above-described vehicle lamp 10 except for the configuration of the light projecting means 4 and the support structure of the sub-reflector 5. Therefore, hereinafter, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The light projecting means 4 of the vehicular lamp 20 includes a light projecting reflector 13 for projecting light in the direction of the sub-reflector 5 with the opening 3 facing the reflecting surface 2a of the main reflector 2, and an outline of the light projecting reflector 13. An LED 1 disposed at a focal position;
It is composed of The light projecting reflector 13 is formed to have an opening 3 as an emission port and a substantially paraboloid of revolution having a short focal length.
a is inserted into the light source mounting hole 13a of the light projecting reflector 13 from the light source mounting hole 13a and is disposed at a substantially focal position.

In this embodiment, the light projecting reflector 13 is
It is formed integrally with the main reflector 2. In this configuration,
The light projecting means 4 can be easily installed with as few parts as possible.

The other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the sub-reflector 5 is supported by two rods 9 made of a transparent resin material. This makes it possible to further stabilize the supporting state of the sub-reflector 5 in addition to the same operation and effect as the first embodiment.

In the vehicle lamp 20 having the above-described structure, similarly to the above-mentioned vehicle lamp 10, the LED 1 is
The LED 1 is protected by the light emitting reflector 13 and
Is condensed by the light projecting reflector 13 and is efficiently emitted toward the sub-reflector 5, is reflected by the sub-reflector 5 toward the main reflector 2, and is further reflected by the main reflector 2 to be directed forward of the lamp. Emit. As a result, the entire surface of the outer lens 50 emits light, as shown by hatching in FIG. 2C, and the light emission is evenly distributed to the main reflector 2 by the four light projecting means 4 being equally spaced. Light makes uniform light emission.

[0039]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the sub-reflector for reflecting the light of the LED in the direction of the main reflector is arranged in the space inside the main reflector. The main reflector having a large focal length can be used, and most of the light of the LED is reflected from the sub-reflector in the direction of the main reflector, so that the use efficiency of the main reflector can be increased. It is possible to increase the light emitting area per unit, thereby reducing costs and improving the illumination quality.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the light of the LEDs from the plurality of light projecting means arranged at substantially equal intervals is reflected in the direction of the main reflector by the sub reflector arranged at the substantially focal position. With such a configuration, in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to improve the luminance per one reflector and make the luminance uniform.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the LE
Since the light of D is condensed by the inner lens and efficiently projected in the direction of the sub-reflector, the use efficiency of the main reflector can be further enhanced in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect of the present invention.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the housing of the light emitting means is formed integrally with the main reflector, in addition to the effect of the third aspect of the invention, the light emitting means is easily installed. be able to.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the LE
Since the light of D is condensed by the light projecting reflector and is efficiently emitted toward the sub-reflector, the use efficiency of the main reflector can be further enhanced in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect of the present invention.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since the light projecting reflector of the light projecting means is formed integrally with the main reflector, in addition to the effect of the fifth aspect, the light projecting means can be easily formed. Can be installed.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the sub-reflector is formed by extending a rod-shaped body made of a transparent resin material, the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention. In addition to the effect described above, it does not stand out by being melted into the main reflector and does not impair the appearance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along line Ia-Ia of FIG.
(B) is a plan view.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicular lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG.
(B) is a sectional view taken along line IIb-IIb of (c),
(C) is a plan view.

3 (a) is a partially cutaway plan view of a conventional vehicle lamp, and FIG. 3 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIb-IIIb of FIG. 3 (a).

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a light emission pattern of a vehicle lamp as a comparative example.

5A and 5B are schematic partial sectional views and FIG. 5B is a partial plan view of a vehicular lamp as a comparative example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 LED 2 Main reflector 2a Reflective surface (of main reflector) 2b Central part (of reflective surface) 3 Opening 4 Light emitting means 5 Sub-reflector 6 Light room (space in main reflector) 7 Housing 8 Inner lens 9 Rod-shaped body 9a Base end portion (of a rod-like body) 9b Swelling portion (of a rod-like body) 10, 20 Vehicle lamp 12 Reflecting film 13 Floodlight reflector

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) F21Q 1/00 GH N

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A main reflector for emitting light to the front of a lamp, a light projecting means for projecting an LED light into the main reflector with an opening facing the main reflector, and a space in the main reflector And a sub-reflector disposed in the main reflector to reflect the light emitted by the light projecting means in the direction of the main reflector. 2. A vehicular lamp using the LED as a light source according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light projecting means are arranged at substantially equal intervals around a central portion of a reflection surface of the main reflector. The sub-reflector is disposed at a substantially focal position of the main reflector, wherein the LED is used as a light source. 3. A vehicular lamp using an LED as a light source according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light projecting means has a housing having an opening facing a reflection surface of the main reflector, and a bottom of the housing. And the LE covering the opening of the housing.
A vehicle lamp using an LED as a light source, comprising: an inner lens for condensing the light of D on the sub-reflector. 4. A vehicular lamp using an LED as a light source according to claim 3, wherein the housing is formed integrally with the main reflector. 5. A vehicular lamp using the LED as a light source according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light projecting unit faces an opening on a reflection surface of the main reflector and emits light in the direction of the sub-reflector. A vehicular lamp using an LED as a light source, comprising: a light projecting reflector to be operated; and an LED arranged at a substantially focal position of the light projecting reflector. 6. A vehicular lamp using an LED as a light source according to claim 5, wherein the light projecting reflector is formed integrally with the main reflector. . 7. The LE according to claim 1, wherein
D is a light source for a vehicle, wherein the sub-reflector bulges a distal end portion of a rod-shaped body made of a transparent resin material fixing a base end portion to a reflecting surface of the main reflector, and the bulging portion. A vehicle lamp using an LED as a light source, characterized in that a reflection film is formed on a surface of the vehicle.